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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592775">String Along</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardala91/pseuds/Ardala91'>Ardala91</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Labyrinth (1986)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Creepy, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dark, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:41:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ardala91/pseuds/Ardala91</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The feeling intensified and a warning vibrated through her being. She did not know why or how, but she felt a pull, a whisper, to look towards the tree line.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jareth &amp; Sarah Williams, Jareth (Labyrinth)/Original Female Character(s), Sarah Williams (Labyrinth)/Original Male Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>String Along</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/4671647">The Splitting Image</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ptolomeia/pseuds/Ptolomeia">Ptolomeia</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>“He was watching her and she knew it. She couldn't see him, she couldn't hear him, but he was there. She could feel him.”</em> -Arti Manani, <em>The Colours of Denial</em></p><hr/><p>It was a beautiful day, despite the melancholy she felt. The early afternoon sun was shining with intermittent clouds and the fresh smell of earlier rain permeated the ground. The air had a light crisp to it from the early fall with a light wind tugging through the trees that surrounded the wide green space. The plastic wrap crinkled in her hand as she walked, looking for the correct spot. It took her several minutes to find it due to all the markers looking similar and her memory of it being blurred by grief. Once she found the correct one, she knelt beside it to set the flowers aside as she pulled out a pair of scissors and a bottle of water from her crossbody bag. She was silent as she cut the plastic wrap off and the flower stems, followed by disposing of the garbage and scissors into her bag.</p><p>Only the sound of trees rustling, occasional bird calls, and the distant sound of the occasional car emitted in the air. She eyed the stone as she pulled out the cemetery vase that was in a circular hollow at the head of the marker, which she turned upright to and set back into the hollow. It was there that she then put the flowers, followed by the bottled water and small package that was supposed to help the flowers live longer. It was this thought that gave her pause, leading her to stare at the headstone, while absentmindedly brushing it off. The dates stuck out to here like a sore thumb, reminding her of the reality that <em>she</em> had been gone too soon. Even though she was much younger herself, she knew that <em>her</em> passing had been at an age not common in her world and the fact was that with everyone her age…their parents were usually alive.</p><p><em>It was so unfair</em>.</p><p>At this thought, a tingle went through her, a sensation of being <em>watched</em>. She dismissed the feeling as she surveyed her surroundings. The cemetery was empty, yet she could not shake the perception away. It caused her to wait several seconds, listening to the wind, and hearing nothing that confirmed her unease. She brushed it aside and concentrated once more on the gravestone. It was nothing remarkable, flat against the ground, like so many here were except for the older markers or those inclined to spend more. The familiar ache swept through her, stronger than usual due to where she was and why. It had only been a year and today…today would have been <em>her </em>birthday. She felt her absence keenly and….</p><p>“I miss you,” She stated quietly, hesitating as if speaking out loud were a silly notion. “I’m sorry I came alone. Dad….”</p><p>She halted, wondering why she was explaining his absence. Would <em>she </em>not already know these things if she was in heaven, a hereafter? Her throat tightened as she grasped for words she could not find, and her mind became a center of hurt as she held back an ocean of memories. It was surprising even for herself that tears only entered her eyes and did not leave, causing her to wipe them away. There were so many things she wanted to say, but in the end, she did not have it within her, and instead bottled them away deep inside. Sluggishly she rose to her feet, picking up the empty water bottle and packet as she did so, and stuffed them into her bag.</p><p>The itching sensation that had not truly left struck again, creating a sense that a presence was right behind her. It was the kind of feeling one had as a child when frightened that a monster was behind them, creeping in the shadows, especially when one left a basement or walked alone in the night. Again, she expelled the feeling, for she was not able to rationalize it. Perhaps it was due to being in a graveyard, she reasoned, for it could not be anything more. She walked briskly towards the parking lot, attempting to ignore that she moved as if a fire had been lit under her. It was not until she was in her car with the doors locked that a breath was let out, she did not even realize she had been holding it in.</p><p>After checking her phone and getting ready to depart, the feeling intensified and a <em>warning</em> vibrated through her being. She did not know why or how, but she felt a pull, a whisper, to look towards the tree line. There had been a few moments throughout her life where a feeling would warn her and it had yet to lead her astray, although she usually ignored these sorts of impressions. She had concluded that it was a gut feeling, a superstition, leftovers from cave-dwelling ancestors that were not applicable to the modern world. Still, she wavered in her resolution, and turned her eyes to the trees. There…. she saw…<em>nothing</em>. Only the trees moving in the wind and a blue sky behind them. She huffed with annoyance for this was not the first time such sentiments had led to false alarms. While she gazed out, she was startled to notice a speck of white on a tree branch and upon further inspection that it was an owl. She had never seen one during the day before or even at night come to think of it.</p><p><em>How odd</em>.</p><p>It was an owl, nothing more, she realized. It was with this conclusion that she rejected the instinct that had washed over her since arriving at the cemetery. She started the engine of her car and pulled out of the parking lot, almost unaware that the feeling had lightened in its intensity. Perhaps if she had looked into her rearview mirror, she may have seen something else, for if one looks another way…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first time writing a Labyrinth fanfiction and I was inspired by "The Splitting Image" by Ptolomeia, which I recommend you check out. I am not sure to this piece's length or ending yet since I am going with the muse. Thanks for reading!</p><p>Disclaimer: I clearly don't own Labyrinth.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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